AGA Announces 2014 Hot-Dip Galvanizing Award Winners

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Centennial, CO– The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) has announced the winners of the 2014 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awards. More than 100 projects representing hot-dip galvanizing’s versatility were submitted and judged online by a panel of architects and engineers. All of the projects are now featured in the AGA Project Gallery (galvanizeit.org/project-gallery).

This year’s highest honor, the Most Distinguished award, was given to the San Diego Central Library, which showcases the ability of hot-dip galvanized steel to create a hip, ultramodern aesthetic. The project is unique not only because of the hot-dip galvanized steel façade of the building, which includes a three-story domed terrace, but also because of the unique funding effort to build the library. More than $75 million, or 40% of the project cost, was donated by more than 3,000 private individuals – a record for funding a public works project of this kind. Laura Hanson, AGA's senior marketing coordinator, said AGA was proud and humbled to play such an essential role in the architectural landmark's construction in downtown San Diego.

The Lifetime Achievement award, which recognizes a galvanized project with at least 15 years of service, was given to the Bridges of Stark County in Ohio. In the early 1970s many of Stark County’s bridges were deficient, and 50% of the annual bridge budget was being spent on repainting aging bridges. Stark County Engineer Rich Larocco’s innovative thinking led to to an effort to dismantle bridges, galvanize their beams and then reinstall them. After seeing the success of the “recycled” galvanized bridges, Larocco began using galvanized steel in all new short-span bridges as well. Thanks to hot-dip galvanized steel, by the time of Larocco’s retirement in 1998, only 10% of the annual bridge budget was being spent on repainting and there county had zero deficient bridges.

In addition to the two special awards, thirteen other projects were selected to represent the best of the best in twelve categories which are common sectors for the use of hot-dip galvanized steel. In addition to the Bridges of Stark County, three other categories, Bridge & Highway, Civic Contribution, and Duplex Systems awarded bridge and/or bridge-related projects. Another popular theme in this year’s winners were projects affiliated with universities, including a classroom building, a parking garage, and a wind turbine unit used in a test facility. The winning projects, plus an extensive library of case studies are featured on the AGA Project Gallery at galvanizeit.org/project-gallery.

Excellence Award winners will be featured on both the AGA website homepage (www.galvanizeit.org) and the AGA Project Gallery site, as well as in various seminars, publications, and other marketing materials.

About the American Galvanizers Association

Serving the needs of specifiers, architects, engineers, contractors, and fabricators throughout North America since 1935, the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) provides information on the most innovative applications and state-of-the-art technological developments in hot-dip galvanizing for corrosion protection. Created to educate and train in the specification and use of hot-dip galvanized steel, the AGA maintains a large technical library, distributes numerous industry publications, offers free educational seminars, and provides toll-free technical support to the specifying community. To learn more, visit www.galvanizeit.org.